This invention relates to a reader/writer for an ICC (Integrated Circuit Contact) card having data, such as a card for an Automated Teller Machine (ATM), or a smartcard or electronic purse.
When such a card is initially written and subsequently read, it is essential to have the card positioned accurately with respect to the reader/writer. At present, this is achieved by inserting the blank or written card into a slot until its leading edge touches a stop; the reader/writer contacts can then be lowered onto the ICC area of the card at exactly the required positioned.
When a card is issued to a user, it may then be stolen, or used fraudulently, in which case a financial institution operating a card-reading system, such as an ATM system, or a SmartCard terminal, may wish to capture the card the next time it is used.
It is highly preferable if such a capture can be achieved automatically, with the card retained in e.g. the ATM. With the present construction of card readers in ATMs, the stop for the leading edge of the card is provided by a rear wall of the insertion slot, therefore retention of a card requires physical removal of the rear wall, which can only be achieved by a complex combination of mechanical, electrical, and software controls within the ATM.